This has been a very busy year for me. I have managed to work on a variety of cases, with very little expenses.
Your prayers and your support made this possible. So, let me begin by saying thank you! Your partnership has made all the difference in the lives of a number of people in America and Europe.
That’s right! We have worked on a variety of cases in America. At the same time, we have done what no one else has been doing in Europe; we stood up for religious freedom across the Continent!
It is important to give praise for the success we have had. That is part of how we prepare for moving forward. 2009 looks to be every bit as busy as 2008. We will look to 2009 soon, for now I want to take a few minutes and review our work this year.
One easy, cost free way you can also help us is by using GoodSearch for your Internet searches. Go to www.goodsearch.com and enter International Human Rights Group as your charity to begin supporting the ministry through GoodSearch.
Battles won in America
In the States we worked on a number of different cases and issues. I want to talk about a couple of them that you probably heard nothing about because we handled them quietly to protect the reputation of our clients.
In Atlanta we worked for over two years to resolve free speech issues in the areas surrounding the Georgia Dome, Centennial Park, and the Philips Arena. There are a number of groups that provide security and they played off of each other to hinder free speech on public sidewalks.
Earlier this year I met with attorneys for one of those groups and finalized the negotiations whereby everyone has now agreed that evangelists have the right to share their faith on the sidewalks surrounding all of these public arenas.
It was a hard fought victory and required a lot of time and energy, but we persevered and won the rights that are guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States.
Thank you for standing with these evangelists through the IHRG!
The Gentleman Evangelist, Bill Adams, sharing his faith at an Atlanta Falcons football game!
We also worked with a large church in a southern city. For the sake of the church and the community I am not at liberty to share the name of the church or the city and state. This church has an outreach that is changing the way Christians look at the arts.
The church was looking to erect a large cross on property they own in a rural area. The property is used for sports outreach and special church programs. County officials refused the church the building permit required to erect the cross because they said it violated their local sign ordinances.
I was invited down to meet with county officials. We spent over an hour discussing the fact that the Constitution and other laws protect the right of the church to erect religious worship symbols on their property for the purpose of religious expression.
Then, our local attorney took the county attorney by the property and let him see for himself the rural nature of the property.
After several weeks, the county relented and the cross has been erected.
Our International Work
I made six trips to Europe this year working on cases involving religious freedom. While this may sound like nothing but fun it means that I was away from my family for over 70 days this year. It means that I missed some of those moments that make up our private lives.
Don’t get me wrong, this is what I am called to do and I do it gladly. It does not, however, come without costs.
First case of 2008 filed in Strasbourg, France
My first trip to Europe in 2008 found me filing a case before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. This court is the equivalent of the Supreme Court of the United States for issues involving human rights and religious freedom.
This case involves Petar Keseljevic who is an evangelist from Oslo, Norway who was arrested for sharing his faith on public sidewalks in Oslo. You might remember that in August of last year we were in Oslo at Petar’s trail.
In near record time, Petar’s case went through the entire system in Norway. A ruling from the ECHR will set a precedent for the entirety of Europe. Please pray that the court will accept this case and give us a chance to present Petar’s case for freedom of expression.
From Strasbourg, we traveled to a meeting with the Robinson family in Nürnberg, Germany where Clint Robinson is the English language pastor of a Baptist Church. We spent a considerable amount of time last year working on the Robinson family’s case. We were able to resolve their case so they remained in Germany ministering through the end of 2008. Now, the Robinson family is back in the States on furlough preparing to return to Europe and plant a new church.
Your prayers and partnership helped in both of these cases. Please continue to pray for Petar and the Robinson family. Pray that they will be able to continue their ministries in Norway and Germany/Austria.
We also met with Mosaic and Samhol ministries in Iceland. We have partnered with these ministries to support their outreach in Iceland. These two dynamic ministries are making a huge difference in Reykjavik. Mosaic is a local evangelical church that began this Easter. Already they have one hundred members, many of them street people who have come to the Lord through the ministry of the church and Samhol.
One hundred members doesn’t sound like a big church by American standards. You have to realize that the largest evangelical, non-state church in Iceland has only four hundred members to see what a huge start this is. This country is like the rest of Europe, hardened to the Gospel in many ways. Yet, in Reykjavik Christian men have dedicated their lives and ministries to seeing revival in the Icelandic people.
Samhol is a ministry to the street people and addicts of Iceland. They work to not only bring these hurting souls to the Christian faith; they are also working at the street level to free them from the chains of addiction. Their program is simple. They help them physically defeat the addiction and then they counsel them through the emotion and mental difficulties of returning to normal, productive lives.
Mosaic and Samhol are changing Iceland, one soul at a time. We are proud to be partnered with such dynamic ministries.
An inside look at the work of Samhol in Iceland
Please continue to pray for these two dynamic ministries to have greater influence in Iceland and beyond!
This is a different fight for the IHRG. Religious freedom is currently strong in Iceland. Here we will support the local work of these two ministries and others. We will support their leadership with legal counsel as they grow and have a greater reach into the cities and villages of Iceland.
Second and Third Case of 2008 Filed Before ECHR in Strasbourg
We filed our second and third applications of 2008 before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France on behalf of the Plett and the Pauls families. (To understand why I consider religious freedom in Europe so important please see a recent article of mine that was published in The Voice Magazine. You can see the article by clicking here.
The Plett and the Pauls familes are home schooling their children for religious reasons. Their right to control the education of their children is protected by the German Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. Unfortunately, the German school authorities have refused to grant these rights to the parents and have persecuted the parents for home schooling their children. And the German courts agreed with the school officials.
This persecution included removing the custody of the children on questions of where the children live from the parents and giving it to the Youth Welfare Office. They levied fines against the parents of thousands of Euros, they showed up at the family home unannounced to take the children from the parents.
One family eventually fled to Canada to try and stay together while they continue home schooling. The other family fled in part to Austria to continue home schooling. The European Court of Human Rights is these families’ last hope for justice and we are there to help fight for justice.
Please pray for these families and their cases! Pray that the court will grant justice in instances where they have refused to enforce the law on behalf of parents and their children who are seeking to raise their children according to the dictates of their faith.
Criminal Trial in Oslo, Norway
Norwegian attorney, Joel, and Petar Keseljevic after criminal trial in Oslo in July
In July I was in Oslo, Norway. For the second time in a year police officers in Oslo arrested an evangelist for sharing his Christian faith in public. This time, Petar Keseljevic was joined by Larry Keffer, an American evangelist. These two men were in public areas of Oslo on May 17, 2008 sharing their faith when they were arrested. The criminal hearing was in July and I was there representing Larry Keffer.
I read Larry’s fact statement into the record. Then I cross examined a police officer. Then I presented a closing argument based on the international law that protected the rights of Petar and Larry.
The prosecuting attorney told me after the trial that she believed this was the first time in Norway’s history that an American had participated in a criminal trial. That seems a bit much to me, however, it was certainly an honor to be able to represent such an important case before the court in Oslo.
Both Petar and Larry were found guilty. We appealed Larry’s case to the Norwegian Court of Appeals. They denied the appeal and Larry’s appeal is currently pending before the Norwegian Supreme Court.
Please continue to pray for Larry. We are prepared to file the final appeal in Strasbourg, if the Norwegian Supreme Court does not rule in Larry’s favor. This is a critical case on free speech issues that could affect all of Europe and ultimately America.
We were also able to work with German lawyers to protect the rights of parents to choose the education of their children. We spent time in the Czech Republic where we made key contacts that will be very important in the coming year.
There is more we have done, but time and space concerns need to keep this shorter.
Please continue to pray for our work! Please continue to pray for those we represent and their families! They are the true heroes of our faith!
Thanks for standing with us!